i am having a few some-what minor issues with my 03 baja (the biggest one to worry me is the harsh starter noise (worried it is the starter/gears) and then the snap that sometimes happens if it gets stalled, or when it dosnt actually fire.

I was at a fair today, looking at the new 05's I know they made changes, but i thought it was like 2-3...not like 10!
From what i noticed...
had braided brake lines F/R
Arm skids
nerfs (kinda cheap looking i stood on them and they flexed more than i would like)
gas front shocks (i think they started that on both the 04's right? anyone ridden the new fronts to compare to the older style?)
darker frame paint (like a charcoal, instead of the gray i have that looks pretty trashed after a few rides)
The "Thingy" on the rear axle, that you adjust to take the play out. (right to the left of the brake) looks like now it uses a big clip to lock it down... mine and i assume everything previous, has this clamp with a 10mm nut/bolt that occasionally comes loose
Polished rims (the reinforcment ring has a sweet polish, instead of the dull gray paint like on mine)
different tach (still autometer, but slightly different colors, and a different needle than mine)
shorter swingarm (suppose that would help for wheelies....but with some extra power might get annoying?)
lighter sprocket hub
from the looks of it the new hubs are thinner/smaller than the monsters i have
sweet color scheme (would be worried about having black plastic though)
also noticed the headers looked coated, or made out of a differnt material (maybe ceramic? dont really know, but sure didnt look like the stockers ive seen)

i THINK thats it...but im sure im missing a few things...

He told me i could probably get about 5k private party sale, and somthing like 4300 trade-in on my 03 baja. (didnt see it, so of course he couldnt really give me a solid number)
he gave me an Out the door number of 7k flat. (base price of 6300 plus tax/setup and whatever other things they threw in there) i was thinking i could get him down a few more hundred, but he had 3 in, both sold the first day, and this one he dosnt plan to have around long.

ive ridden the yfz....cool bike, but not for me (not comfy, stiff suspension, i prefer low torque, where as the yfz's revs like a banshee and takes some getting used to. Havnt ridden the 450r, have heard mixed feelings on it, but the biggest turn-off for me is the kick start... (would get really mad if i got to the top of a hill and killed it, or if i went back out west and jetting was off, would be worried she wouldnt fire)

I was hoping someone has ridden an 00-03 then traded or at least rode the 04/05 (dont think too many of the 05 features are new...so 04 should be pretty darn close) could give me a little write up on the experience.
Im not exactly rich being 18, with very little income. (just sold my truck, so i have plenty of cash, but i have to keep in mind getting another vehicle as well) so i guess it would be a 1k-2k upgrade (but i would strip my filter/cdi, and possible swaps would be my ported intake/hmf/AC nerfs and whatever other little doo dads i deem worth removing)

One other thing that keeps going through my head (beyond the fact this is a big "upgrade"- cost wise) is that bomb or another company might come out with some sweet new quad (be it the apprilla motor, or an EFI sport...or whatever)

Let me know what you guys think.

 

I used to own an '01 DS 650 and an '02 DS 650 Baja, and now own an '05 DS 650 Viper. The '05 Viper feels like a completely different ATV than the prior two DS 650s. It feels lighter, handles better, and has more power. Bombardier says they did not change anything to increase power on the new DS 650s, but I don't believe that. This DS easily has more power than either of my prior two DS's, ... and, HP Research has done dyno testing that has shown the new '05 DS 650 has about 5 more HP than any prior stock DS he has tested.

There have been lots of new sport quads that have come out since the DS was first made, but with the improvements made to the DS, they still don't make a better sport quad than the DS. The Raptor, V-Force, YFZ, TRX450, and Z400 are all newer than the DS. I've owned all of them except the last two, and they are not better than a DS. So if you are thinking of upgrading to a new quad, the new DS is a good choice. Good luck.

 

ya, i keep thinking about it, and do you think the extra power is just from the drivetrain, or that there is actually some motor work done somewhere? (i dont have a clue how to calculate rotating mass into HP, so dont know fi the few lbs they carved off would be that new found power)

did they do anything to the a-arms? ive always noticed the dartyness of the ds, and also when steering tight (well cant explain it, but its somewhat hard to control a slide as the steering seems to want to go FULL to get me sliding...)

 

Once again, Bombardier says they have not changed anything with the steering geometry on the DS from its initial release back in '00. That also is incorrect, because they re-did the a-arms in '02, and '02 and later DS's have not had the dartyness that the first two years DS's did. I don't know if the a-arms are different on the '04 and '05 DS's compared to your '03. I do know that the handling is better on my '05 DS than it was on my '02 DS, and that my '02 DS had the same a-arms as your '03 DS. So it is a pretty safe bet to say that a new DS handles better than your '03 DS, probably for a number of reasons.

 

what did you pay for your 05 viper out the door? (if you dont mind me asking)

anyone else who cares to let me know what they paid for an 05 that would be helpful. (i know prices change from state to state...but thought i could compare it to what he said)

one nice thing, is i bought my DS off ebay (from that zaves dealership in OH) so i only paid like 5900 shipped for mine new... so if i got 5k i would only be losing like 1k off of new.

i could probably buy a viper 05 for what, maybe 6300 out the door? (dont know the price difference between viper/baja )

but then again i would hate to lose all those nice features of the baja (i also love the new colors)

 

A new '05 Viper retails for $5999. I bought mine from a friend of mine, who happens to be a forum member here, and also just happens to own a Bombardier dealership![img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img] He sold it to me for $5499 OTD. That price did not include sales tax, which I had to pay when I brought it back to Utah and licensed it.

 

dont suppose your friend ships quads? lol

i would like to get my new quad from the same person (off ebay, in ohio) but i found that you still get stuck paying sales tax once you try to get a registration sticker for some states. But i also wouldnt mind getting it from a dealership locally so when i need work done or parts i will know them better.

 

I'd like to get a new 05 DS with the upgrades. But I don't ride that much & money wise I'm not sure I'd be that much farther ahead. If I had more money to spend (not paying on the current quad) or if I rode more or had a unreliable DS now I'd surely buy a new DS. They have really done some nice things. I rode BAJAXRIDERS 04 model X. It "feels" lighter is the biggest difference to me. The power with his Modquad endcap was "smoother" too. It didn't hit as hard as mine but pulled smoother. Make sense? Plus they look soooo cool.
I need tires & I'd like more mods. But with so many new quads out I think maybe I should just save for one of them instead.

Truth is I'd have a hard time deciding between an 05 DS & an 05 Predator.
[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif[/img]

 

Ride the Honda 450R.... I highly doubt you will be dissapointed.

 

the only thing i dont like is the kick start...

i like the big comfy seat and suspension of the DS.... maybe ill see if my local dealer will let me take it for a spin (probably not..lol)